Hate speech or free speech : an ethical dilemma?

Gorenc, Nina (author)

Freedom of expression is the cornerstone and the warrant of democracy, but like all other rights and freedoms we enjoy, also the right to free speech has its limits. Hate speech is one of the most resilient manifestations of cyberviolence, and is not to be equalled with free speech. This is partly related to our perception of the freedom of expression that has substantially changed through time; from the past focus on being able to freely express your opinion, to question, dissent and challenge the government, to today’s need to limit these rights in order to protect the targets of hate speech. The article first looks at how hate speech is defined at the level of the EU and at the problems connected with its regulation. It continues with an overview of relevant literature and research on the topic, and concludes by analyzing and interpreting the results of an online survey conducted among Slovenian university students in February 2022. Our goal is to understand the reasons behind the rise of hate speech and reactions to it; from its acceptability and underestimation to indifference and ignorance.

• Language: English
• Keywords: freedom of expression, free speech, hate speech, censorship, social media
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: Str. 413-425
• Numbering: Vol. 32, no. 3
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-142381
• UDC: 342.727:316.774:004.738.5
• ISSN on article: 0390-6701
• DOI: 10.1080/03906701.2022.2133406
• COBISS.SI-ID: 128046595
• Publication date in RUL: 04.11.2022

GORENC, Nina, 2022, Hate speech or free speech : an ethical dilemma? International review of sociology = Revue internationale de sociologie [online]. 2022. Vol. 32, no. 3, p. 413–425. [Accessed 11 April 2025]. DOI 10.1080/03906701.2022.2133406. Retrieved from: https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/IzpisGradiva.php?lang=eng&id=142381

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: International review of sociology = Revue internationale de sociologie
• Shortened title: Rev. int. sociol.
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 0390-6701
• COBISS.SI-ID: 26310912

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: svoboda izražanja, svoboda govora, sovražni govor, cenzura, družbeni mediji